


Through Thick and Thin

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22323835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: In which Donna Noble and Martha Jones are best of friends despite a little memory loss.
Relationships: Martha Jones & Donna Noble, Martha Jones/Mickey Smith
Comments: 20
Kudos: 63





	Through Thick and Thin

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this ages ago and have decided to repost over here.

“Ms. Noble, the doctor will see you now,” a nurse called through the open doorway. Donna rolled her eyes and followed the woman back. It was about bloody time! She’d been waiting for nearly an hour, and it wasn’t like anything was wrong with her! It was just her old Granddad worrying too much about her. Still Donna sat down on the patient bed waiting yet again for the doctor to come in.

Finally the door opened and the woman looked up from her clipboard clearly shocked at the sight, “Donna?”

“Yeah that’s me. You the doctor? Because I have had it up to here with all the nurses! I mean honestly, what’s with all the waiting around. What if I were seriously injured? You should work on that!”

“Right, sorry,” the woman kept staring at her before she promptly realized her role in the situation, “Well I’m Doctor Martha Jones,” here she paused and stared at Donna, willing any sign of recognition but none came. The ginger kept a straight face throughout.

“So what seems to be the problem today Ms. Noble?” Martha continued.

“Oh so first I was Donna and now I’m Ms. Noble? Well alright then. My memory isn’t that great – didn’t you already read the paper with the questions the nurse asked me? What’s the point of the paper if you’re not going to read it?”

“I read it, but sometimes it helps to hear the patient’s problems first hand, just so there’s no confusion. And you never know, maybe you forgot to list something before.”

“Well okay then. It’s just that…sometimes I feel like I’m forgetting something or someone super important. And when I focus on remembering it’s like I completely black out. I know it seems silly, but I’ll be watching something on the telly and then it’s like I’ve seen it before somewhere. And it’s like I’ll go into these spells – like hallucinations!”

“Well, have you travelled recently? Did you eat something strange?” Martha probed.

“No of course not. I’ve never travelled in my life. I don’t think I’m built for that sort of thing, I’m not that adventurous or interesting.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Martha reassured.

“Well anyways, I’ve never left the country, so I don’t think that’s it,” Donna continued, “Besides it’s been happening for a while now I think.”

“Really? How long?” Martha jotted down notes.

“Well I feel like something’s missing from around the last couple of years,” Donna said.

“The last two years?” Martha gasped, “Well why’d you wait that long to come in?”

“I don’t know,” Donna frowned trying to remember, “See? I can’t remember! I’m getting a headache just thinking about it. But anyways, the headaches are more recent. The past month or so. I’m only here ‘cause my Granddad was getting worried about me. Didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“It’s my job, not a waste of time. Now I don’t want to give you any strong medication just yet. But how about you go ahead keep a journal of all these hallucinations? Keep track of when the blackouts happen, maybe it’s got something to do with your diet. If there’s no improvement in the next couple of weeks, then go ahead and make another appointment to see me,” Martha ended the session by handing Donna a business card.

Donna smiled and thanked the woman, but on the way out rolled her eyes again. She wasted a good half a day over this appointment only to find out that she should ‘keep a journal’ and ‘watch what she eats’. Utter rubbish.

On the other hand, Martha frowned because Donna couldn’t remember her or anything else that had happened the past couple of years. And if there was anyone to blame, Martha was sure it was the Doctor.

* * *

“Oi! Oi, you’re the doctor, aren’t you?” the feisty ginger yelled as she joined an almost tipsy Martha at the bar.

“What? No I’m not,” Martha responded confused. She wasn’t that mad alien Timelord.

“Yes you are! You’re the doctor, Doctor Martha Jones, right? I went to you about a month ago. You probably don’t remember me-”

“Donna Noble,” Martha said adding the ‘most important woman in the universe’ silently in her head. Just because Donna somehow forgot her, didn’t mean she had to forget Donna.

“Hey that’s right!” Donna smiled.

“So how are you, Donna? Have the hallucinations stopped?” Martha knew they probably hadn’t, but as a doctor it was her duty to check up on people.

Donna’s smile dropped, “Well not really. But it’s not like it’s terrible – I mean I’m managing. Besides, changing my diet didn’t help much, I love my sweets too much to give them up!”

“Don’t we all,” Martha laughed along.

“Well you probably don’t want to talk about work, with you being a hardworking doctor and all. What’re you doing all alone here?”

“I’m not alone, not really. Got some friends dancing, but I needed the space,” Martha nodded to a small crowd who Donna supposed were her friends.

“Tell me about it. I had to leave the house, my mum was starting to go bonkers at me again. I’m supposed to be meeting up with my mate Anna, but she hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Well, we’re all here celebrating Vicki’s engagement, finally! But honestly I’m throwing myself a pity party and I didn’t want to spoil her day.”

“A pity party? What for?”

“I used to be engaged, I was a week ago. And now I’m single. Apparently my job is too demanding for Tom and we barely ever see each other anymore, suppose it’s for the best though. Still, I’m a bit upset about it,” Martha sighed glumly as she rubbed her now bare ring finger.

Donna patted her arm in sympathy before ordering another round for the both of them and raising her glass in a toast, “Well I say we stop the pity party. This is now officially an ‘I’m better off without him’ party of two. Who needs men! He obviously didn’t deserve you anyways.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

Donna looked away, “Not sure, but I know it’s true. You feel familiar, and I’m a good judge of character. You’re a good person Martha Jones.”

Martha smiled and clinked their glasses together. It seemed that even though she had burned one relationship, she had rekindled an old one.

* * *

It was the wheezing noise that woke her up. She had heard it so many times; of course she knew exactly what it was. By the time the Doctor had stepped out of the TARDIS Martha already had a pot of tea going.

“You want a cuppa tea?” she asked without looking up.

“Martha,” the Doctor greeted.

“Doctor,” Martha replied before sighing, “What are you doing here? I don’t remember there being any strange alien happenings lately.”

“Well you know me, I like to check up on my companions every now and then,” the Doctor shoved his hands into his pocket as he leaned against the fridge and scuffed his trainers.

“So how about it, Martha Jones? Still working for UNIT?”

“Not exactly. I’m taking some time off, being an actual proper doctor. I’ve got patients at the hospital and everything. Seriously though, what are you doing here?”

The Doctor looked as though he had to carry the weight of the world as he simply said, “Donna.”

“Thought so. She can’t remember. She came in as my patient one day and didn’t remember me, so I doubt she can remember you or all our adventures. Why can’t she remember?”

“You’re still friends with her.”

“Of course I am. Just because you left her doesn’t mean I have to.”

“That’s not how it worked,” the Doctor argued.

“Then tell me how it works! If you’re not going to tell me anything useful than you can just leave. My friend is hurting and she doesn’t even know it. I thought you cared.”

“I do care,” the Doctor said sternly, “That’s exactly why she can’t remember. The human-timelord metacrisis that happened, it’s not supposed to. No human can ever withstand a Timelord’s mind. It’s not possible. If she remembers any of those moments, for even a second, then she’ll burn up. She’ll die Martha.”

“And she told you she’d rather forget, did she?”

“I took a decision; I couldn’t let my best friend die, Martha.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make, Doctor! It was hers, and you took it away from her. Couldn’t you have found another way? There must have been-”

“Of course I wanted there to be another way! But there wasn’t. She was going to die unless I did something. She can’t remember. Not even for a single second. You can’t let that happen.”

“I’ll do what I like,” Martha crossed her arms in defiance. She didn’t want to hurt Donna. But she also didn’t like being told what to do.

“It’ll kill her,” the Doctor pleaded.

“You already killed Donna Noble when you took away her memories without her consent,” Martha snapped back, “I think you should leave now, Doctor.”

The Doctor stared at her as if he wanted to say something more but instead he nodded in agreement. He gave her a quick hug which Martha stiffly returned (she had a feeling she wouldn’t be seeing him again for a long time and she didn’t want an argument to be her last memory of him) and then he stepped into the blue box and disappeared like he always did.

The tea was left cold and forgotten.

* * *

“He erased her memories?!”

Martha nodded frantically at Jack’s angered voice. She had finally opened up to Jack and Mickey about the Donna situation and needless to say, neither was too happy about it.

“Well that’s Doc for you,” Mickey shrugged, “I know he means well, but he doesn’t always know what’s best for us, does he? I mean he left you in the future after a Dalek invasion, let Martha’s family get tortured,” Martha winced at the memory.

“That wasn’t his fault,” she interrupted. She may not have liked it, but Martha wasn’t going to blame the Doctor for something he didn’t do. Especially since she knew he probably still blamed himself.

“Still, Mickey’s got a point. He shouldn’t have done that,” Jack sighed.

“To be fair, he just didn’t want Donna to die,” when she had finally calmed down about the matter, Martha could admit that the Doctor always had good intentions.

“So now what?” Jack asked. There’s no way Martha Jones would come to them unless she had a plan in mind.

“I’m not sure,” Martha hesitated for a moment, “But I had this idea. See, the Doctor used this fob watch thing-”

“Right, the chameleon arch. The Master had one of those too,” Jack interrupted, “I remember.”

“Right, so the thing is, that watch or arch – whatever you call it, it can hold the Timelord consciousness in there. So I thought since the only thing affecting Donna is a Timelord mind, maybe we could extract it somehow and put it in there. You know, like the Doctor and Master did?”

“I don’t see why not, but wouldn’t the Doctor already have thought of that?” Jack asked.

“I think…I think it might be dangerous so he didn’t want to risk it. I remember he was in pain when he used it, he said it was rewriting him. But I’m sure we can rewire it so that Donna doesn’t get hurt,” Martha insisted.

“I don’t know. I think it sounds pretty risky,” Mickey piped up.

“We have to do something! We can’t just leave her like this. You two didn’t know her, not like I did. She was so full of life when she travelled with the Doctor, like she had a purpose. And now, whenever I see her…it’s like she’s just drifting,” Martha argued.

“Weren’t we all,” Jack agreed, remembering his conman life before the Doctor. Mickey nodded solemnly in agreement as he remembered his own life with Rose before the Doctor. Like it or not, for better or for worse, most of the time the Doctor helped and made people realize just how special they were.

“Okay then, so what do we do? Do we even have a chameleon arch?” Jack asked.

“I was hoping Torchwood might be able to come up with something. I mean, you lot have loads of alien equipment, don’t you? I’m sure you could find something,” Martha answered.

“I’ll look around, let you know what I can find,” Jack nodded and got up ready to leave. He bid them both goodbyes as he was now a man on a mission, giving Martha a mock salute before he left.

“I’ll see what I can do too. Maybe I can talk to Sarah Jane, after all, us Smiths look out for each other,” Mickey offered.

“Oh that would be great!” Martha smiled. She would have called the journalist herself, but she didn’t have Sarah Jane’s number or information. Plus Martha didn’t think the woman was too fond of Jack and all his guns.

“No problem. Anything for a friend. Now how about you and me grab a drink?” Mickey asked.

“Oh I don’t know about that-”

“Come on, you don’t have a ring on your finger anymore – don’t think I didn’t notice. So how ‘bout it? Have a drink with me? It’ll help with your constant worrying, promise.”

Martha smiled as she quietly accepted, “Well alright then. But just one tonight, I’ve got work tomorrow,” and she let Mickey put his arm around her as he led her to the door.

* * *

“You know, I never got to tell you, but you look beautiful today,” Mickey said as he tapped Martha on the shoulder.

Martha laughed at her boyfriend’s antics, “You tell me that every day thank you. Besides, thank Donna, she chose the bridesmaids dresses.” Donna Noble was finally getting married today, and of course Martha was in the wedding party so of course Martha invited her new boyfriend Mickey Smith as her plus one.

“Yeah, but you’re a bit more than just a bridesmaid, aren’t you, Ms. Maid of Honour?” Mickey teased.

“Oh that’s just because I introduced her to Sean,” Martha dismissed. Who would have thought her new best friend would have ended up marrying her old best friend’s ex-crush Sean Temple? The world was funny sometimes.

“Yeah I’m sure that’s all it is. Nothing to do with the fact you’re her best friend and have been with her for the longest time.”

“Well she deserves someone,” Martha shrugged. The guests alerted them of the pictures going on outside the church when suddenly they heard it. The wheezing and groaning noise all the companions were so familiar with.

“Did you hear-” Martha asked wide-eyed.

“Definitely, it’s gotta be him. Come on,” Mickey grabbed her hand and they both ran out the doors. But it was too late. Ahead of them they could see Wilfred shaking his head with tears in his eyes.

As he came up to them he told them, “You’re too late. You just missed him. And I don’t think you’ll see him again. I think…the last time I saw him…he said he was dying.”

Martha let out a shuddering breath as Mickey wrapped an arm around her trying to comfort her, “Don’t worry. The Doctor doesn’t actually die. He regenerates, becomes a new man. That’s all, he’ll be fine.”

“But it won’t be him. And besides, we could have asked him about the chameleon arch to help out Donna, and now he’s gone and Jack hasn’t had any luck, and now what’s going to happen to her?” Martha nearly cried.

“Now don’t you worry yourself about Donna now,” Wilfred interrupted, “You leave that to Sylvia and me. Besides, she’s got good friends like you, she’ll be fine.”

“Oi, what’re you lot doing gossiping about there,” Donna yelled, “It’s my wedding. Granddad, you’re boring Martha to tears with your stories! C’mere, take pictures with me!”

Donna held out her hand for her maid of honour, which Martha gladly took, pushing all the bad thoughts to the back of her mind.

* * *

"Now then Sarah Jane, Jo Grant, it’s been a fun day – you know, being declared dead and all, but I’m afraid I must leave now,” the Doctor smiled as they all returned safely in Sarah Jane’s attic. The children were off talking somewhere else.

“But before I do,” the Doctor turned to Sarah Jane, “Martha, Martha Jones. She’s been busy trying to help Donna.”

“Yes, we all have. But we can’t do anything, but Martha did think of-”

“The chameleon arch, yes, I know. It’s brilliant, I expect nothing less from Martha Jones, but it’s dangerous. That’s why I didn’t use it on Donna. But if anyone can figure out how to use it safely, then it’s Martha and the Companion Squad. Oh I like that! No, wait, no I don’t. Maybe not squad, how about a gang? I’ve always wanted a gang!” the Doctor’s eyes brightened as Jo laughed at his playfulness.

“Right, no, sorry,” the Doctor backtracked himself, “Chameleon arch, here we are.” He handed Sarah Jane a small fob watch, “I’ve made some adjustments to myself with the TARDIS’ help, but I’m still not sure if it will work. Hopefully it does, but Jack can probably figure out the rest.”

“Thank you,” Sarah Jane smiled.

The Doctor straightened his bowtie and leaned against the blue box, “Now, how would you two like to see my ship? I’ve done some redecorating since you’ve seen it last.”

“Oh yes please!” Jo nodded enthusiastically.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and the doors opened wide.

* * *

“And are we sure this will work?” Martha asked for the hundredth time as she took in the machinery that surrounded her.

“As sure as we’ll ever be,” her husband Mickey replied as he wrapped an arm around her.

“He’s right, Martha,” Jack commented from behind, “The Doctor already rerouted the chameleon arch so that it wouldn’t rewrite Donna’s memories. And I’ve been working on this for around a year now; we have to use it for real now. We’ve done all we can.”

“Right, I know that. I’m just worried, that’s all,” Martha fretted.

“Oi, what are we doing in here, Martha? Who come to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of Cardiff? Crazy people, that’s who. When you said you wanted to hang out, I thought you meant shoe shopping. Not abandoned warehouses in the middle of nowhere!” Donna’s shouts echoed throughout the building.

Martha laughed as she met her friend and dragged her into the heavy machinery.

“Oh, hi Mickey. Hi Jack,” Donna greeted (though rather flirtatiously to the latter – she got a wink in return).

“Martha, what are we doing here?” Donna asked again.

“Donna, do you remember when you first met me?” Martha asked seriously.

“Yeah, I came to you because I had problems with my memory.”

“Right, and I know you still do. Well, what if I told you, we think we’ve finally figured out a solution to your problem?”

“What, now? Martha it’s been three years!”

“I know, and you’ve suffered a lot over those three years. I know you have. But now, now I have a way to give you your memories back.”

“What are you going on about? I never lost my memories! I just, I blank out at times. That’s all.”

“Donna, you know it’s something bigger than that,” Martha urged, “You know you’re forgetting something important. You’re missing a part of who you are. I don’t know how to tell you this, but your memories have been altered. I know it sounds crazy-”

“It doesn’t just sound crazy, it is crazy! About as bad as that time there were apparently large planets in the sky! Or apparently the sun looked weird and everyone was looking for a prisoner zero. Urban myths, all of them! Besides, how would you even know if my memories were altered?”

“Because you don’t remember me,” Martha answered simply.

“Of course I remember you. You’re my best friend, you were my Maid of Honour and you’re going to be the godmother of my kids if I ever have any,” Donna laughed, “Of course I remember you silly! If you don’t know all that, then you’re the one that needs a doctor, not me!”

“But that’s just it Donna, we knew each other before that too. You just can’t remember.”

Donna stayed silent for a few moments before asking quietly, “You really think there’s something wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. But there is something wrong with your memories.”

“And you can fix me?”

“We’re pretty certain we can. There’s no guarantee, but if it works, you’d be much happier than you are now. And I know you still have moments when you’re unsure of something. This will help, I know it will. You have to trust me on that. But it’s going to hurt, a lot. And it has to be your choice, okay Donna? I can’t force you to do anything. This has to be your choice.”

Donna stood shell shocked for the longest time before she finally gave a sharp nod, she trusted Martha Jones. With her consent, Mickey and Jack strapped her into the machine and attached the chameleon arch as well. With a last few reassurances and words of comfort from Martha, they turned on the machine and it began.

There were flashing lights, screeches, curses and screaming. A lot of screaming from Donna. And an equal amount of tears from Martha for putting her friend through this pain. But finally when it died down and the smoke cleared, there was Donna.

Actual, proper Donna.

That much was evident when they cleared the machinery away and she opened her eyes with wonder and compassion. The eyes only a travelled Donna would have, not an empty shell like she was before.

“I remember!” she cried as she grabbed Martha into a hug, “I remember who I am.”

“It worked, it worked!” Martha cheered as Mickey and Jack were hugging each other in the background.

“It did. Because you didn’t give up on me, Martha. Thank you.”

Donna smiled sincerely at her, before pulling her into another hug, “Let’s celebrate. Come on! Let’s get ice cream!”

“Uh, what about the mess in here?” Mickey asked.

Donna shrugged, “You and Jack can take care of that. Martha and I are going to grab some ice cream.”

Ignoring their complaints and protests, Donna took Martha’s arm and hauled her out of the old warehouse and onto the street in search of ice cream.

“So it worked, then?” Martha asked again in disbelief, “My plan worked? You’re back to normal?”

“Yeah,” Donna said as they neared an ice cream shop, “I mean I have a killer headache right now. But I’m not burning up or dead yet, so I can take some aches and pains if it means I remember who I am. But I’m back to normal. No longer the Doctor-Donna, just plain old Donna,” the ginger couldn’t help but sigh in despair.

“Hey! Plain old Donna is still the most incredible woman in the universe! I should know, she’s my best friend!” Martha argued as she grabbed Donna’s arm.

Donna laughed, “Yeah, I guess I am!” Leave it to Martha Jones to keep her confidence up when the Doctor no longer could, “But it’s a tie. Because my best friend Martha Jones is out-of-this-world all types of amazing too!” Martha smiled at that when they finally reached the ice cream place, “Now come on. I’m buying my best friend some ice cream!”

The door opened startling them both as a silver haired man stepped out with a young brunette woman on his arm.

He smiled at the two friends and his blue eyes twinkled as he held the door open for them, “Here you are, dears,” he said with a Scottish accent.

They both laughed as they thanked the man and entered the building. The Doctor continued to smile at them through the windows long after they had gone in.

Finally the tug on his jacket alerted him of his companion’s presence, “What?” he snapped.

Clara rolled her eyes well aware of this Doctor’s impatience, “Are you going to tell me why we’re getting ice cream on Earth in my own time period instead of maybe, I don’t know going to the past or future. Even a different planet. I mean we have a time travelling space ship for crying out loud!”

“Because my dearest Clara. I wanted to see some very important friends of mine. Donna Noble and Martha Jones; two amazing women and as it would seem, thick as thieves.”

“Well why today then?” Clara pestered him.

“Because today is an important day for both of them. Donna finally remembered who she is, and who her best friend really is. And what can I say?” the Doctor smiled as he turned to look at his companion, “I love a happy ending.”


End file.
